St Louis County, Missouri - EM48sr
01 October 11
Where I operate:
Daytime: 14.236 Digital Voice and Data CW Evenings: 7.025 and 14.025 +/- a few kHz Also, active on 6m thru 3 cm SSB, FM and ATV. 31, Run mobile CW only 7.031 and 14.025 +/- QRM using a Icom 706MK2g. APRS/FM using a Kenwood D-710, my APRS SSID is K0PFX-9. In the shack, I monitor 146.730 and 144.34mHz (ATV talk-back) FM, 147.015mHz D-Star and 1285mHz on the Missouri Digital Group D-Star System. Weather conditions (K0PFX-8) near my QTH using a Open Tracker+ with a Kenwood TM-271 may be found here.
Modes:
Digital Voice: AOR's ARD9000 and 9800, Fast Radio Modems. DRM's WinDRM and Frequency Division Multiplex FDMDV.
Digital Voice Nets: AOR Digital Voice ARD 9000/9800 meet every Saturday and Sunday at 19:00UTC. FDMDV meets every Saturday and Sunday at 19:00UTC (usually starts early around 18:30UTC) Look for activity through out the week around this same time. 14.236 USB.
CW: Interested in QRQ (high speed) CW on the air or over the internet? Check out AA0HW's "QRQcw" site...go here. Take a look at Chuck's video on setting up the software program called "rufzWORDS" (3000 Most Commonly Used Words in the United States) to help increase your speed and accuracy of copying common words. Member of the First Class Operators Club, FOC Member #1916. I have been a long time member of the CFO, Member #023 and enjoy QRQ ragchew QSOs using my Bugali paddles and various keyboards.
HF Packet Radio (yes, its still alive!) - SCS (Special Communications Systems) has introduced a new Packet Radio modem which works very well in its 200/600 baud "HF Robust-Packet" mode. I have been using mine now for a few months with the Flex 5000A. When I can find another station using one too (sometimes a problem with new technology!), it is a pretty amazing modem. A very small enclosure makes it ideal for mobile or portable operations as a "Tracker" also. Take a look at it here. Available in US from the hams at Farallon Electronics in California.
CWops Club! - I'm a Member (#271) Lots of fun and activity. Visit their web site here.
USA DRM:
The
Federal Communications Commission has issued Experimental Radio Service
license WE2XRH to Digital Aurora Radio Technologies (DART) of Delta Junction
(Southeast Fairbanks), Alaska. DART told the FCC that its experiments aim to
determine the impact of high latitude HF ionospheric propagation on digital
audio modulation using the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) system; to determine the
transmission power levels required to provide adequate signal for high
reliability reception throughout Alaska; and to determine an antenna
specification for delivery of the digital signal throughout Alaska. The
VOA supported by the IBB and
HCJB tested DRM transmissions
using a Rhombic antenna, an HCJB DRM exciter and 8KW amp. Reception was
super here in the mid west. To keep up on the DRM happenings worldwide join the
DRM-NA yahoo group.
DRM News:
Radio HCJB's DRM Pappradio: Take a look at the new inexpensive radio from HCJB - Germany. This is a sound card based PC radio which may be used with dream software providing both AM and DRM reception. Follow the link to their web site here.
Alaska DRM: Word on the street has it that funding for this project may be in trouble. Three big Continental transmitters have been installed (way underground where temp remains stable) and feed lines connected to X dipole antennas. Testing has been done but so far with low power. Latest News: Funding for the DART DRM project appears to have dried up.
WinRADiO in co-operation with VT Merlin Communications is now offering DRM decoder software in three different versions. For more info visit WinRADiO's site here.
One week of DRM listening provides good results: In early Nov 2010, I spent 7 days listening for DRM stations world wide. Using a Flex 3000 ham transceiver and a Force 12 multi-band yagi, I found there is a number of stations with good signals for receivers in the USA . Signals SNR ranged from 15 to 33dB providing good decoding. Who had the best signal? TDP Radio was the winner. RCI was a close second. Both in the low 30s dB SNR. RNZI has good "talk radio" shows and interesting stories. Disco Palace and REE Noblejas (Costa Rica) both have great music. TDP Radio's dance music will thump your bass speakers quite well. All we need now is another Solar Cycle 19!
DRM audio (sound bite)
AOR Digital Voice: (sound bite)
ARD 9800 Digital Voice, Data and Image Transfer ARD9000 Digital Voice
AOR's implementation of Digital Voice has now been available for seven years now and still remains a good modem for use on HF. These "fast modems" utilize the DVSI's AMBE codec providing good speech quality without the noise and fading associated with SSB. Despite the sometimes poor band conditions of cycle 24, good solid contacts can still be made. N1FFX (now N4DVR in Florida) and I have made hundreds of contacts over the years. Conditions are improving now so if you have an AOR modem, please try to join us week days or weekends.
WinDRM's DV and Image/Data Transfer: (sound bite)*
Latest release for WinDRM is dated 23-July-2008. For compatibility with EasyPal's image transfer using Reed-Solomon encoding/decoding, refer to Dave, KB4YZ's excellent doc on downloading and setting up the encoder/decoder for WinDRM go here. Digital Radio Mondiale's WinDRM docs Release 1.3, Quick Setup Guide and software may be downloaded from the www.n1su.com website. This is an "enhanced" sound bite showing the capability of WinDRM. Recorded in a QSO between St Louis and NY with special IQ techniques.
FDMDV:
FDMDV Digital Voice using Linear Predictive Coding
To maintain compatibility with the current release of FDMDV, all users are encouraged to download the 1.3 version dated 20-July-08 and the updated docs V1.4b from the www.n1su.com website. The FDMDV spec is also available. All docs in pdf format. Work continues to find a low bit rate codec to improve the speech quality over the 1400bps LPC currently in use. Here is FDMDV running on HPSDR at the TAPR/ARRL DCC.
For more on Digital voice, visit Amateur Radio Video News here and look for this video and ARRL/TAPR 2008 DCC Conference DVD #5.
Open Source Codec2 in development: ((continuous improvements are being made - be sure to check this out often!!))
An open source 2400bps Speech Codec is continuing to be developed by David Rowe, VK5DGR. David's goal is to provide a codec with speech quality somewhere between Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) and Mixed-Excitation Linear Predictive (MELP). Codec2 will fill the need for Digital Voice over HF/VHF codec requirements. Codec development is no easy task, but David brings a lot of experience in his past development of telephony and internet applications. I feel confident he will be very successful in this project also. Listen to some sound bites samples and follow along with his work here.
D-Star:
The K0MDG (Missouri Digital Group) repeater is operational on all freqs and linked to the Gateway server. D-Star now has hundreds of Gateways world wide! DStar TV is one of the latest applications utilizing the low speed data capability of the radios to send digital SSTV pictures. Take a look here for more on D Star TV. You may find me on the DStarusers.org website. I monitor 1.2GHz (A) using the ID-1 and the 2M/70cm repeater outputs also.
D-Star DV Dongle and DVAP:
I enjoy using the DV Dongle and the new wireless (Digital Voice Access Point) DVAP. Installation was a snap for both and they work good with my travel laptop. I have used them in WiFi hotspots and in the 3G/4G Sprint network. For info on these amazing little devices that allow contacting hams worldwide via the D-Star Network, check them out at the DV Dongle web site here and the DVAP site here The DVAP provides a wireless connection (using my D-Star HT IC-91AD) to the D-Star internet Gateway. For more D-Star info, check out the newsletter here.
ATV:
The MobiComm Communications "ATV LCD Kit" is now controlling their little DFM900 FM 900mHz transmitter. This TX is now mated up with the Bensat DR903mx satellite receiver. I am using a 1.2gHz FM TX with this Bensat receiver and have found it makes a good combination. Once you try FM ATV, you'll never go back to AM (well, at least for local contacts!). Using DEMI (Downeast Microwave) amplifiers with both transmitters and the loop yagis. FM provides a much improved picture over AM. Geeks.com has a very low cost "pan" unit with wireless remote control. I mounted a Panasonic color camera on it and use it to pan (scan) my hamshack so my ATV viewers can watch me roam around in the shack. It works quite well although some say it scans a bit too fast. Find the $25 "Cam Scanner-WL" here. You may find other uses for it outside the ham shack too. If you do order something from the Geeks, don't forget the little HE-280B USB Audio adapter (sound card the size of your thumb). At less than 8 bucks, it is hard to beat for both price and functionality as a second sound card with WinDRM. Received a couple new cameras from ATV Research and really satisfied with their performance. I recommend ATV Research because they are very helpful with selecting the right camera for your application.
3cm 10GHz Portable operation:
A 10gHz portable microwave station was completed utilizing a FT-817D for the "IF" and a DEMI transverter running about 2.5w. A club was formed in 2009 here in the St Louis area called "SLAMS" and several of us are exploring the world above 1gHz. More on the club and its activities may be found here. It is pretty amazing what can be done on this band... its more than just "LOS" (line of sight). One member worked 160 miles using similar 3cm portable on a camera tri-pod from his driveway using tropo scattering.
New 10 + 24GHz Portable operation:
A second 10GHz portable following the "SLAMS" standard (DEMI transverter + FT817D IF) was recently completed which will be used to with a W2DEP transverter and W1GHZ feed to make a dual-bander portable sharing the same dish and tri-pod. I hope to have it completed before the first snow flies!
Remote Operation:
I packaged Glentek's Radio to Ethernet controller for my Icom 706mk2. This is an interesting and easy way to control a radio without a PC. Take a look at Glen's site here. Here is picture of mine inside front and rear.
On the Bench: I have finally completed my second test stand. I have the Marconi 2965A that spent 4 months in the UK being repaired and calibrated! Marconi made some very nice gear ( they are now part of Aeroflex) but repairs can be take a long time and become very costly.
Zigbee: At the ARRL/TAPR DCC in Chicago, I picked up a neat product from John, W2FS he calls the "VSC-X" Virtual Serial Cable that will let you program your radio or in my case, a D-710 "remotely" without removing it from the car to connect to my PC. Using the XBeePro Zigbees, I can wireless "extend" my RS232 cable and program my radio in the comfort of my hamshack. Other radios are compatible as well like the FT817, 857, 897 etc. Software is available to test the "range" of the Zigbees More info may be found at John's web site found here. If you need to extend a com port, this may be an option. A yahoo support group "VSC-X" is available.
Wireless watch? What? Yes, thanks to Jim, N0OBG, I now am experimenting with a Texas Instruments EZ430 Chronos A Wireless Watch Development Tool that controls my PowerPoint presentations, check my heart, run my PC's mouse and many more applications.
Software Defined Radio:
Flex 1500: I've now had the 1500 running at the operating position for over 9 months now and it continues to perform very well. A great QRP rig from Flex Radio. Take a look at it here. I'm happy to be on the Flex beta software team which keeps me in the loop for running the latest releases. I am now have a small Lenovo laptop with a Core i7 cpu for using with the 1500 and transverters making a great combination for portable work. I've also used it as a portable shortwave receiver and found it receives DRM very good using Dream software.
Main rig in the shack is the Flex Radio 5000A with ant tuner, second receiver and now the 2m/70cm modules. See www.flex-radio.com for their gear including a new tuning "knob." It is truly amazing ham gear. Also, I have a Flex 3000 that is integrated into a test stand. When combined with a laptop and a light weight switching PS, this makes a great 100w station for traveling.
TEN-TEC recently introduced a new "DSP" receiver, the RX-400. This SDR radio tunes/scans from 2MHz to 3Ghz. But what some of us CW enthusiasts found more interesting is the company's new tag.. "The SSB Company" Not sure what this really means for CW ops.
HF Amplifiers:
ACOM introduced several new products at Ham Radio Fair 2011 in Friedrichshafen including a new 800w solid state amplifier. Another, was a new controller for my ACOM 2000A. This new controller looks like a "must have" for 2000A owners. Check them out at Array Solutions.
HPSDR (High Performance Software Defined Radio):
Scotty, WA2DFI and Dan, N4XWE, now have their web site iQuadLabs.com up. Here you'll find assembled and tested HPSDR boards.
"Analog" Operating Position:
Acom 2000A HF Linear, ICOM IC-8500 Receiver w/TV-7100R, ICOM IC-910H Multi-Band VHF/UHF, Kenwood TM-5411.2 GHz FM, ICOM 706MkII, Alinco DR-235 220MHz FM, DR-M06 6M FM, Kenwood TH-F6 HT, ICOM R3 Wideband RX, ICOM ID-1, 91AD, 2820, PC Electronics TC70-20Sa ATV, Teletec DXP-U150 150w SSTV amp, Bensat DR-903MX 900-1200 ATV FM Receiver, PC Electronics 1300MT 1.2 GHz FM ATV, PC TX133CM 900 Mhz ATV, and SSB Electronics pre-amps on tower and DEMI Amplifiers.
Other interests:
SW Listener analog and digital. For digital, I use DRM's dream software and Coding Technologies (Now Dolby Labs) Digital World Traveller. The Flex 5000 with Dream software has been found to be the better DRM receiver. QRP with Patcomm 500 Dual-Bander and Mosley CM-1 receiver and Hygain Hytower HT-18, 51 foot vertical. The CM-1 was originally made for one of Carl Mosley's salesman who "took ownership" right off the production line. The radio was made about 3 miles airline from my QTH when Carl had his plant on Lindbergh Blvd just south and west of St Louis airport (Lambert Field). Complete with speaker and 6 meter transverter, it is my only boat anchor left in the shack.
Surface mount (SMD) assembly and repair. Test and measurement equipment calibration. Music background in piano and organ (I have an old Thomas Theatre organ with an even older Leslie once used on the Lawrence Welk Show).
Tower and Antennas:
72 ft Heavy-Duty US Tower, Force 12 C4XL & K1FO Yagis 144/430/900/1296
"As seen in..." QST Dec 2004 thru May 2005 QST.
FlexRadio SDR-1000 + ACOM2000A + AOR ARD9000 + PR40 = Software Defined Fun...
FLEX 5000A w/2nd RX, Dell Vostro 400 and dual Samsung 215tw Monitors
Copyright © 2009, 2010, 2011 Mel Whitten
